When In Rome
by TheWaffleMaker
Summary: A fanfiction off of QueenAurora's Return Of The Dragon Rider. While Hiccup and Wrenlou are visiting in Rome, Hiccup is falsely accused of murder and arrested. Now, Wrenlou must rescue him before time runs out for both of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings Citizens of Earth**

**This fanfiction is a bit different from others as this is not necessarily 'original'. I am using a story told in another fanfiction as the basis for this story. So yes, a HUGE thank you to QueenAurora for leting me use a story from her fanfiction Return of the Dragon Rider to write this one. (Go favorite and follow all of her stuff, she is an amazing writer)**

**A few things to note: This isn't canon. Like all fanfictions, this is my own take on events that QueenAurora first set. Second, this has little to do with ROTDR, as it happens before that story takes place. And lastly, the OC, Wrenlou, and his dragon Snowflake are her characters, not mine. He is a major part in her canon of events, though, so he is in this story.**

**Carry on.**

Chapter One

"Oh my gods." Hiccup murmured. "This is..."

"Amazing?" Wrenlou grinned. "Welcome to Rome, brother!"

Hiccup gazed around him in wonder at the bustling streets, towering buildings, and overwhelming conflicting scents of the marketplace. Berk had been nearly empty, as crowded as it seemed on days that he was getting roughed up. Dragoncity even, was organized enough that the throngs of people weren't oppressive. But here...it was pure, unadulterated chaos.

And he loved it.

Hiccup turned to Wrenlou, a grin playing across his lips. "What is this place?"

The other man smiled at him, heterochromatic eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, you aren't going to find out by standing there. Come on."

Hiccup was exhausted. They had walked what felt like a thousand miles in the past few hours, trying different foods, watching street performers, and getting swept into the glamour of the majestic city.

He sat down on the ground, away from the crowds of people, under the shade of a tall tree he didn't recognize. Wincing, he rubbed his leg where flesh met his prosthetic.

"This is worse than when we had to go through training for the Guard. Thor's beard."

Wrenlou waved a finger at him. "Ah ah ah, the Romans worship different gods. Jupiter, the god of lightning would be the corresponding god to your Thor. Although they are slightly different."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. He didn't really think about the fact that others had different religious views than he. Even in Dragoncity, with his friends, he didn't think about it much.

"Actually, you're wrong." They looked up to see a tall man with light hair and piercing blue eyes, almost completely outfitted in armor, standing above them.

"Excuse me?" Wrenlou asked, sounding a bit offended.

"We Romans don't reject the gods of other cultures."

Hiccup, even more confused, held up a hand. "What on earth does that mean?"

The man laughed. "When Rome conquers other places, their gods and parts of their religious culture become...absorbed into our own." He winked. "Although I still respect Our Lord Jupiter."

Wrenlou folded his arms over his chest. "And who might you be?"

The man inadvertently drew himself up a bit. "My name is Antoninus. Clearly you're not from around here, so I thought I might come over to chat."

Hiccup felt a bit apprehensive about the man, and said carefully, "No, we aren't from around here. Why do you care?" Another thought occurred to him. "And how do you know our language?"

"You're from the Caribbean, obviously. The language you're speaking is more a dialect of Roman than anything else. And as you were misunderstanding a large part of our Roman culture, I would say that it's a good thing I did care." Hiccup accepted the explanation, his trepidation fading, though not entirely. There was still something off about the man.

Antoninus looked back quickly, as if checking something, and cursed. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Duty calls." He nodded a farewell, and jogged away.

"That was odd." Hiccup remarked when Antoninus was out of earshot. Wrenlou didn't respond, and when Hiccup looked over, he saw that his best friend had his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Then they widened.

"Oh wow." He murmured.

"What?"

"Hiccup, I think that was a _centurion_."

Hiccup furrowed his brow. "What's a centurion?"

"It's a commander, essentially of the Roman army. A very high rank. Kind of like Captain of the Guard back home at Dragon city."

"Oh." Hiccup refocused his attention back on the man, who was weaving his way through the crowd, and was soon lost from sight.

The moment passed in contemplation, the noises of the city of Rome providing a buzzing ambience. "So what do you want to do next?" Hiccup asked. "We don't have forever here, and Snowflake and Toothless won't wait indefinitely."

Wrenlou frowned and hummed thoughtfully, sticking his tongue on the inside of his cheek so that it poked up slightly. "We could-"

Suddenly, a shout of alarm filled the air. Reflexively, both men were to their feet in an instant. A ripple of panic had shot through the crowd, and Wrenlou and Hiccup exchanged a glance.

Then, they forged into the marketplace.

It didn't take long to find the consternation's source. The market goers had formed a circle around two people. On closer inspection, one of them turned out to be Antoninus. The other was a rough-looking man holding a knife.

"You will pay, centurion!" The latter snarled, and Antoninus eyed him warily.

"It wasn't my fault. It was the law. I was merely the one who executed it."

"You killed my brother!"  
>In a flurry of motion, the smaller man charged Antoninus, who had no time to react. Hiccup pushed through the crowd, despite Wrenlou's protests to stay away.<p>

"Antoninus!" He shouted, although the sound as lost in the screaming of the crowd.

Finally, the ruffian pulled away. The centurion lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, and Hiccup knew the man was dead. Even though he had only just met the man, he felt a small twinge of remorse.

The man who had killed Antoninus glanced over Hiccup, and without warning, disappeared into the crowd, but not before thrusting the blood-laced knife into his hands. Reeling in surprise, he turned to try and apprehend the murderer.

"Him!" Someone shouted. Whipping around, Hiccup saw men atop horses, clearly guards.

One of them had his finger outstretched towards him.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "No..." He murmured. "No, I didn't kill Antoninus."

"Of course not." Two of them dismounted, and came up beside him, firmly grasping his arms. He writhed in a panic.

"Wrenlou!" His head swiveled, trying to find him in the crowds.

"Hiccup!" The reply came, but it was too late. The guards had already bound his wrists together, and were dragging him away.

Wide-eyed, Hiccup shoved against one of the guards, cursing as he did often that he was so small. "No, please, I didn't do anything, I'm just visiting, I-"

He cut off as one of the Roman officers clapped him on the head.

"Wrenlou..." Hiccup murmured, and the world spiraled away into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings!**

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews.**

**This chapter is a bit shorter, but I'm fairly certain that it is the shortest chapter. The others are longer.**

Chapter Two

Wrenlou watched, frozen as Hiccup was dragged away by the Roman officers. Something sparked in his mind, and he surged forward, pushing through the crowds. "Wait!" He yelled. "Wait! That's not who you should be after!" He finally broke through the mass, racing towards the horses.

"Excuse me?" One of the officers raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hiccup, he didn't kill Antoninus, you have to-"

"I do not have to do anything for you, foreigner. You have no right to make demands." Wrenlou was shoved to the ground, and before he could get to his feet again, the officers had already gotten too far away to catch.

Wrenlou's breathing began coming more raggedly, and he ran his hands through his black hair. He had read book after book about Rome, its culture, its trademarks, but nothing he read had prepared him for this. There probably weren't many books out there named 'What To Do If Your Friend Is Falsely Accused and Arrested In Rome'.

_Think, Wrenlou, think_. He chided himself. Part of him wanted to fly in on his dragon Snowflake, and try to end the fiasco there. Reason quickly overtook that urge, however. He had no assurance that would work, and the Romans were famed for their skill in battle. A frontal assault wouldn't work here like it wold other places.

He needed to make a plan, and quickly. But as the sun set, and he headed back to where Toothless and Snowflake were staying, he had no idea where to even begin.

Hiccup awoke to a bucket of freezing cold water dumped over him. He gasped as his heart rate suddenly accelerated, and the room around him came into focus.

"Wrenlou, what..." He trailed off as his vision cleared, revealing an unfamiliar room, and two men wearing armour. One of them lifted his chin haughtily towards Hiccup.

"It seems we have a barbarian in our midst. Why they even let you in the country is beyond me, considering that all you seem to enjoy is killing our leaders."

"What?" Hiccup asked, confused. Then the events before he had been knocked out flooded back to him. "Look, I didn't kill your...centurion. Someone else did, and put the knife in my hands, okay?" He tried to stand up, but found that he was tied to the chair, effectively restraining him.

"Of course." The man said sarcastically. "Why did you kill Antoninus?"

"I didn't! I had talked to him a few minutes before, and then he left. The next thing I know, my friend and I..." Hiccup trailed off. "Wrenlou. Where is he?"

"Oh, your friend who was trying to prove your innocence?" The way the man said it, as if he knew something that Hiccup didn't, triggered something in his mind.

"What have you done to him?" He snarled, but the Roman officer simply ignored him.

"There still remains however the fact that one of our centurions-and a friend of mine-is dead, and you were the one who was holding the knife that claimed his life. And I can assure you, I don't take well to murderers. Especially those who kill my friends." The man held up a hand to forestall any comment from Hiccup. "I've thought about it a bit, and considering that I have the authority to do essentially anything I please, I am going to give you what any person who would dare to kill a centurion and one of my closest comrades deserves-execution."

The Roman turned to Hiccup, giving him a small smile. "But you can trust me when I say that if I am to kill you, I am going to make it as long and painful as I can."

"To be frank, I've probably faced worse than anything you could throw at me." Hiccup said, although his confidence was waning.

Laughing slightly, the Roman officer remarked, "Then clearly you have never been to Rome."


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings!  
>Well, that was a had secret to keep. The reviews all said "I hoped that Aurora would write about that" and I was kind of just over here giggling. But, now that the announcement for TAAOFHAW is officially out, I feel better.<strong>

**Thanks for follows/favorites/reviews!**

Chapter Three

Scenes of the past hour flashed through his mind as Hiccup was dragged through a strange dark labyrinth of hallways. How had everything gone from so well to a nightmare in a matter of moments?

Where was Wrenlou? Was he even alive? The way that the Roman officer had responded to the questions regarding the other man made Hiccup think that perhaps they had Wrenlou in their custody as well. But that made no sense, as he and Wrenlou had been separated when Antoninus was killed. Maybe he had raced forward to protect him, or-

He was thrown to the ground suddenly, his shoulder cracking painfully against the rough stone floor. His hands were still tied together, so he wasn't able to catch himself from falling, and the blow to his head from earlier had left a vicious headache that was destroying his sense of direction.

The Roman man-Cassius one of the other Romans had called him-knelt next to him, and grabbed Hiccup's jaw, holding it in a vice-like grip that sent a jolt of pain through his face. Cassius tilted his head from side to side, studying him with dark eyes that burned with fury.

Then, without warning, he used his free hand to score a hit directly to Hiccup's abdomen. The younger man gasped as the air was driven from his lungs, and he doubled over.

Cassius made a gesture to the other men, and they left, apparently understanding a sign that was meaningless to Hiccup.

"Please." Hiccup said, trying one more time to defend his innocence. "I didn't kill Antoninus, I barely even knew the man."

"_LIAR_!" Cassius shouted, and hauled Hiccup up by the leather harness he was wearing. "Why do you keep insisting something we both know is true?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to reply, but cut off as he was slammed against the wall. His head jolted forward as a stabbing pain shot through his skull. The world around him fractured for a moment, and he blinked, trying to regain his focus.

"Please." He whispered. "Mercy." It was a slightly odd word to say, but in Dragoncity, sometimes when they were goofing off, and they accidentally hurt each other, the other would murmur 'mercy', almost as a joke to alert the aggressor that the roughhousing had gone too far. He wasn't sure why he had said it-it slipped out.

All the purpose it served was to enrage Cassius even further. He leaned in close to Hiccup and said fiercely "There is no mercy for the likes of you."

Then he was hurled against the wall once more, and again he slipped away into the waiting arms of unconsciousness.

Wrenlou sat in front of a fire, Snowflake curled around him. He was thinking; almost brooding. The longer he sat, the more things could be happening to Hiccup, but he didn't know what to do.

Snowflake nudged him, and he placed a hand gingerly on the white Night Fury's head. "It's okay Snowflake. It will be alright."

Toothless was pacing, clearly worried. There was no doubt that the bond between him and his rider was stronger than most dragon's. It was a special kind of friendship indeed that allowed him to put his safety into Hiccup's responsibility every day. It came as no surprise that the dragon had degenerated into a distressed state.

Wrenlou stood up, stretching, gazing up at the night sky, filled with thousands and millions and billions of stars, tiny specks of white light that were almost overwhelming in their numbers. The sky was so beautiful, heedless of his internal panic and anxiety.

"I'm going for a walk." He told the two dragons. "You can come if you like."

Obediently, Snowflake stood up, and trotted after him. A brief series of chirps and clicks ensued, and Toothless fell in behind him as well. Wrenlou grinned a bit, and began to walk through the long grass that sprang up around him.

As he walked, Wrenlou tried to figure out what to do. He needed to scout out the area where Hiccup was, so that he could find him, and rescue him. However, Wrenlou was used to having dragons to help him with the task, and he couldn't use that advantage here.

Perhaps he could fly in with Toothless-the Night Fury was as dark as its name suggested. He couldn't use Snowflake for scouting purposes, for obvious reasons.

He had made up his mind that after he got back to the camp, he would take Toothless out and try to find Hiccup.

So naturally, that was when a farmer appeared, charging them with a spade.


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings! (Again)**

**Breyannia, your comment made me laugh. Thank you for putting a smile on my face. (Although for how violent this fanfiction is, I'm not sure that a smile is appropriate...)**

**I know that I already updated today, but, what the heck, no one is going to complain if I update so soon.**

Chapter Four

"Get out of the way!" The farmer yelled. "There are dragons behind you!"  
>Snowflake had reared up to defend Wrenlou, and jumped in front of him. The farmer went to bring the shovel down on the dragon's head, but she dodged easily, and the shovel hit the groun, sending up a spray of dirt.<p>

"Whoa, hold on!" Wrenlou moved around Snowflake, and grabbed the shovel from the man, who looked to be middle-aged, wearing a worn shirt and pants covered with dirt from working in the fields.

"Dragons!" The farmer yelled again, and Wrenlou had to suppress a grin.

"It's alright, they won't hurt you."

"What do you mean? Are you insane, don't touch it!" Wrenlou guided Snowflake over to the farmer, and took his hand gently.

"Look, Snowflake won't hurt you." The farmer pulled away.

"Gods, man, it's a Night Fury! What are you _doing_?"  
>Wrenlou sighed. "I know that it's a Night Fury. Her name is Snowflake, and I promise, she won't hurt you. She's one of the gentlest dragons I know."<p>

"Dragons aren't gentle." The man said sternly, but he had already begun approaching the dragon. He stretched out a hand tentatively-_very_ tentatively-although when Snowflake saw this, she pulled away.

"It's okay Snowflake." Wrenlou said encouragingly. The dragon gave him a long, scrutinizing look, and then turned to allow the farmer to place an anxious hand on her head.

The farmer shook his head slowly. "Amazing. What about that one? Is it yours too?" He was pointing Toothless, who had watched the exchange with little more than a vague interest. Wrenlou's shoulders sagged a bit.

"No, he...belongs to my friend." A thought came to him. "Do you know of any way to break into one of the prisons in the city to rescue someone?"

The farmer laughed condescendingly. "Not that I know of." He quieted immediately when he saw the darkness on Wrenlou's face. "Sorry. The person you want to rescue...is it your friend that has that other dragon?"

Wrenlou nodded, handing te shovel back to the farmer. "He was arrested for murder. He was framed for it." He quickly added. "I don't know if he's even still alive."

The farmer shook his head. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. One thing is for certain though:" Here he gave Wrenlou a hard look. "If your friend went into one of the prisons, you're not going to get him out."

**~~~O~~~**

The whip sliced through his back once more, and Hiccup closed his eyes, biting his lip against the burning pain. He had faced a lot of pain in his life-probably a lot more than should fall to his lot-and this wasn't necessarily the worst he had ever felt. But it was drawn out, continued at the same level for so long that he felt as if he might pass out. Yet the adrenalin coursing through his body made sure and well that he was conscious for the entire process.

The leather cord connected with flesh again, eliciting a moan. Then again, and again, and again, until Hiccup lost count, which bothered him. He had been trying to count the lashes as a binding point, something for his mid to focus on, but the numbers slipped from his mind. Was it thirteen? Fourteen? Or had that been surpassed already?

"Enough." Cassius said from behind him. Then his hands were being untied from the post he was strung up on, and Hiccup slumped to the ground.

"Bring him here." Someone grabbed his arms, and hauled over to where Cassius was waiting. A piece of cloth was tied around his eyes, effectively blindfolding him.

Then water was being poured down his back, and even though it was freezing, it soothed the fire that had erupted in his body, and he exhaled slowly in pleasure.

"Don't get too used to it." Cassius whispered harshly in his ear. "We can't hurt you if you're unconscious." Then he said, louder, to the others in the room, "Follow me. And bring him." He punctuated his statement with a kick to Hiccup's ribs.

The stone floor was rough against Hiccup's back as he was dragged through the prison, and it only served to aggravate the already tender skin on his back. He couldn't see anything through the blindfold, which scared him. He didn't like having one of his senses stripped away from him.

A door slammed shut, and then he was being forced onto a table-he could feel the grain of the wood, and it creaked like it was old. Then his hands were bound behind him, and the ropes around his ankles secured.

There was a strong source of heat coming from the side of the room...left of him. There was the sound of metal scraping against stone-a sound Hiccup was familiar with, having worked in a forge most of his life.

The blindfold was ripped away from his eyes revealing Cassius looming over him, holding a long knife glowing from sitting in a fire. Hiccup's breath caught in his throat.

"Please." He murmured. It was a word he spoke frequently in recent hours. "I didn't..." His plea of innocence was either ignored or in vain. It didn't matter-the end result was still the same.

The burning knife was lodged into Hiccup's am, and he opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Only a tortured gasp. The smell of burning flesh hit his nose, and he gagged. The whole thing was sick and demented. Why did he have to endure this? Why couldn't it have been the one who deserved to be punished?

Although Hiccup wasn't sure that anyone deserved this.

Cassius' voice filtered in through his mind. "It's interesting. If you stab someone with a knife thats hot enough, the heat will actually cauterize the wound. Meaning minimal blood loss, which is in and of itself productive in keeping you alive." Then he twisted the knife, and tears of pain slid down Hiccup's face.

Cassius pulled away, leaving the knife in Hiccup's arm, burning and sending flashes of pain through his body. The Roman pulled something from his belt. "Do you recognize this?"

Hiccup gritted his teeth, eyes widening bit. In Cassius' hand was Inferno, the blade Hiccup had made for himself. The one that coated the sword in fire. He knew what was coming, although he prayed that it would come to pass only in his imagination.

"Quite a few people got burned pretty badly trying to figure this thing out. It's a work of art, really." Cassius laughed softly. "And of course, it's always effective to use a warrior's own weapon against him."  
>Cassius clicked open the blade, which slid out with its trademark metallic <em>shink<em>. The fire blazed to life, dancing in Hiccup's bright green eyes.

"No." Hiccup said, doing his best to move away. He shook his head violently. "Oh gods, please, I didn't make that to hurt people."  
>"Well then, we might as well test it."<p>

The blade wasn't sharp-it was for taming dragons. not slicing through things. But the fire was so intense, Hiccup could feel it even before it touched his skin.

Hiccup's back arched as pure agony exploded across his chest as Inferno was brought cruelly down on him.

He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. His mouth opened once more, and this time, a scream so vicious it hurt his throat making the sound was ripped free.


	5. Chapter 5

**Greetings all!**

**Thank you all for your lovely comments. They make my day!  
>(To answer questions: This is going to be seven chapters long, and I know that there is another fanfiction entitled When In Rome, but even though I'm not particularly fond of the name, I really don't have an idea for another title, so When In Rome it will stay unless a better idea comes along.)<strong>

**I realized that I didn't give a violence warning for last chapter...so...violence warning for this chapter as well, although not quite as...graphic.**

**Carry on.**

Chapter Five

The door to the cell he had been dragged to whenever Cassius sadistic appetite had been filled slammed open. Hiccup was lying on the floor, curled into a ball. Instead of letting Cassius or whoever was there this time know that he was awake, he stayed in his position, keeping his breathing even as though he were asleep.

"Get up." Cassius' voice grated through his mind. Hiccup's head hurt, a pounding against his temple that made him want to really fall asleep. He ignored the order however, even when it was followed up by a kick to his head, which only intensified his headache.

"I said get up!" When he still didn't respond, he was hauled to his feet, although Hiccup still feigned unconsciousness.

"I know that you're awake, -" Hiccup didn't understand what Cassius had said; he wasn't sure that he wanted to. "You had better cooperate-you're only making things worse for yourself."

"Because things wouldn't be as bad anyway?" Hiccup said, opening his eyes a bit.

"I would have killed you faster."

"Somehow I doubt that."

That remark earned himself being thrown against the wall, a sensation he was beginning to become used to.

Tentatively, Hiccup looked up, flinching slightly. He took a deep breath before pulling himself to his feet. He was a bit unsteady at first, but pushing against the wall to support himself, he looked over at Cassius. The man was actually a bit shorter than him.

"I'll walk, thank you."

The other man raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself." The two guards that always were by him each grabbed one of Hiccup's arms, securing him as he followed Cassius through the prison.

"There have been rumors of dragons in the area. A Night Fury, someone claims to have seen."

Hiccup's head shot up. "Really?" If there was a Night Fury around the prison...maybe Wrenlou hadn't been captured. Maybe he was trying to get him out.

A quickly as he had thought it, though, his hope faded. There was no guarantee that the dragon was a Night Fury, and it wasn't necessarily Wrenlou.

"Maybe I should just stick you out on the rooftop and let the dragons at you." Cassius continued.

Hiccup laughed a bit. "Maybe you should. I'm not afraid of dragons."

"As much as I would like to see you trying to back up your words, it would take away from my satisfaction knowing that it was a dragon and not me that finally claimed your life."

"At least dragons aren't cowards." Hiccup murmured, so softly he thought only he had heard it. Then Cassius whirled around, and stormed up to him, eyes blazing with rage.

He didn't say anything. Merely hit Hiccup hard across the face with a closed fist. Hiccup cried out a bit in pain, but that was only a precursor. Cassius pulled one of his arms away from the guard, twisting it behind his back. It pulled so hard, Hiccup thought for sure that something was going to break.

"Don't you _ever_ call me a coward again." He gave one final yank backwards, and Hiccup's vision went white as he felt his shoulder slide out of its socket.

Falling to his knees, his facade of earlier confidence shattered, and Cassius spun around once more, the guards dragging him inexorably to the torture room.

~~~O~~~

Wrenlou sat in front of the fireplace, his arms folded and resting atop his knees which were pulled loosely against his chest. The farmer-whose name was Marcus-had invited him to stay for a bit, so that he wouldn't have to stay outside 'in the cold' although it felt pleasant to Wrenlou. Provided, of course, that the dragons stayed outside. Marcus' wife and two children hadn't reacted...well to the arrival of the three newcomers, and were still resistant, even after Wrenlou explained that they were essentially harmless.

The smallest child, a girl of six or seven, toddled over to him, and sat down on the ground, looking up at him with large blue eyes. "Are you sad, Dragon Man?"

Despite himself, Wrenlou grinned. The two children had taken to calling him that, and he didn't argue. It was accurate enough. "Yes, I am sad." He responded frankly, although he attempted to sound upbeat about it.

"Why are you sad?" She asked, and Wrenlou had to think a moment before he responded.

"I hurt. Inside." He gestured to his heart, although he wasn't sure that the little girl understood.

She tilted her head to the side. "Why do you hurt?"

So inquisitive, this one. Wrenlou didn't know how to reply to that question. She was too young to understand the deep throb of worry that pulsed inside of him. He couldn't explain his worry to her about Hiccup-he didn't even want to travel down that road. So instead, he replied simply "I think one of my friends is hurt, and that makes me feel sad."

She accepted the explanation with a nod. Opening her mouth, probably to ask another question, she was cut off by her mother approaching. Vera was a warm, maternal woman who didn't seem to object at all to having a complete stranger take up residence in her home. "Aelia, leave Wrenlou alone."

"No, it's fine." Wrenlou said, but Aelia had already stood up on her chubby legs and trotted over to her mother.

"The Dragon Man is sad, Mommy." She informed her mother solemnly.

"Okay." Vera said, trying to mimic her daughter's seriousness. Then, she guided the little girl out.

Wrenlou sighed, and stood up. Marcus' farmhouse was large-they weren't a poor family, by all means. His brother was a merchant, apparently, meaning that the family was not lacking for anything. Their house displayed this, with multiple large rooms. Wrenlou wasn't sure if he liked or disliked it, but he was content to suspend judgement.

He walked outside into the warm night air, and Snowflake was immediately at his side. "Sorry, girl, but I need to take Toothless this time around." She bobbed her head in what almost seemed a contrite nod. Snowflake was fairly used to not being taken on scouting missions-although having a white Night Fury was unique, she wasn't the most practical for stealth operations.

Swinging up onto Toothless' saddle (the dragon had become little more than despondent), Wrenlou had to encourage the dragon by murmuring "We're going to go find Hiccup, Toothless."

The dragon looked up sharply, and Wrenlou couldn't suppress a grin. A fire had come back into his eyes that had been lacking ever since Wrenlou had come back Hiccup-less the day before.

He had found the prison on the previous night's excursion, and was this time trying to figure out how best to carry out a prison break.

Toothless and Wrenlou launched into the night sky, the wind whistling around his ears and through his hair. In a few moments the were over the city, arcing over the buildings and lights. Despite the late hour, the city was still alight and alive. They had to stay up high in order to avoid being seen until they reached the prison.

Once they set down on the roof, Wrenlou slid off of Toothless, and guided the dragon across the top of the building. He wasn't sure where Hiccup was, but being able to get into the prison would be a good start.

Suddenly, a scream split the air, a sound so tortured and distressing, it sent chills down his spine. Then Wrenlou's eyes widened with recognition.

That was Hiccup's voice.

He sagged in relief that his friend was still alive, even as an internal panic exploded inside of him. What were they _doing_ to him that could elicit such a sound?

He was about to slide down to the ground to investigate more when a shout rose up from the ground. "Dragon!"  
>A thrill went though him, and he froze in a moment of indecision. He couldn't just leave Hiccup there. But at the same time, he wouldn't be of any use if he were captured too. Regretfully, he swung up onto Toothless again. It hurt him to leave Hiccup-he was screaming at himself to do something, but there was nothing he could do. As they flew back to Marcus' house, Wrenlou tried to forget the sound of his friend's cries.<p>

He shivered again, and leaned in closer to Toothless,

Wrenlou wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

~~~O~~~

Hiccup could barely keep his eyes open. He wasn't sure how long he had been in the Roman prison, but it felt like an eon. He tried to move, and sit up, but his ribs, which he was pretty sure were cracked in some way, protested at the slightest movement. Inhaling deeply, he eased back down again, closing his eyes. He might as well try to sleep.

Swallowing, Hiccup noted the dry stickiness of his throat. He was so thirsty. They had given him barely any water at all, and no food whatsoever. Hiccup wasn't sure if he wanted to die from torture or dehydration-neither sounded pleasant. Of course, dying in general wasn't usually pleasant.

He smiled a bit, chapped lips cracking as he did so. How could he keep making jokes at a time like this?

The door of his cell opened, and he cracked an eye. Cassius was standing there, flanked by two Roman guards. "Bring him." The former ordered, and the guards none too gently hauled him up to his feet.

Hiccup had long since given up fighting, and simply allowed himself to be dragged to wherever his next punishment was to take place. It pulled on his skin though, which was covered with long strips of burns, knife wounds through his arms and shoulders and legs, and of course the long lacerations of the whip he was subject to daily.

It was pretty fair to say that he had had enough of this whole torture business.

_There I go again with the jokes._ He thought with mirth. _Maybe I'm losing my mind_. That simple thought on its own was enough to scare him. Was he going insane?

Then suddenly, he was outside.

Hiccup blinked, eyes trying to adjust to the bright light of the sun. He hadn't been outside since...since he had been arrested.

Dragging him out to a large pole stuck firmly in the ground, the guards, upon Cassius' instruction, tied his wrists to the pole, dragging him up so that he was barely balanced on his toes.

"You can just sit here, and think about what you've done." Cassius said tauntingly. Hiccup heard the sounds of the three retreating, and waited until the sounds had dissipated before daring to look around.

He was alone in a dirt courtyard. High walls surrounded him, and his only companion was the sun which quickly made his skin feel feverish.

The revelation hit him. This was his final punishment. He would stand here, out in the merciless Roman sun until he died of heat exhaustion or dehydration or both. His previous tortures of the past few days had been designed only to make his body weaker so he wouldn't be able to fight this. It had worked. His energy was sapped, strength gone, pain omnipresent in his body.

He vaguely hoped that Wrenlou was okay, was with the dragons.

No. He wouldn't just consign himself to this fate. He couldn't give up like that. Squinting up at the thick ropes binding his wrists to the metal pole, the heat of which he could feel against his hands, Hiccup tugged against them. They didn't budge.

He tried countless times before his precious reserve of energy was drained, and all he had succeeded in doing was rubbing his wrists red and raw.

Giving a long sigh of dejection, Hiccup closed his eyes, and leaned his head against his arms, repeating a mantra that had been consoling him to sleep these past few nights.

Perhaps this was all a dream, a nightmare, a hallucination, and he would wake up from this hell and be back on Dragoncity, Wrenlou teasing him gently, Broghan rolling his eyes at some stupid thing his brother had said. He could wake up from this, and forget it.

But of course, you can't wake up from real life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings!**

**xFaerieValkyriex, your comment made me laugh in the middle of a sad part in a movie. I'm sure that my family thought that I was insane. And thank you to all of you who reviewed, because it really puts a smile on my face.**

Chapter Six

His head throbbed.

His throat ached.

His body was shaking in slight convulsions.

Sweat streaked down Hiccup's body, mingling, with the blood from wounds that had re-opened. His head pounded, and every time he moved sent another wave of agony through him, and though Hiccup couldn't see it, he knew that he was extremely sunburned.

Footsteps sounded from behind Hiccup, and he murmured "Good morning, Cassius."

"To you as well." Hiccup knew what was coming-his being tied to post and left to die hadn't stopped his daily beatings.

Hs only consolation was that it was killing him faster.

The sound of the whip striking the ground reached his ears, and Hiccup closed his eyes. Maybe he would go to sleep instead of giving Cassius the satisfaction of his tormented cries.

_If only_, Hiccup thought bitterly as the whip fell.

**~~~O~~~**

Wrenlou lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. The house was quiet;it should, considering that the sun had not yet risen. It had been a week-a week since Hiccup had been arrested, and his inaction was beginning to grate on him. He had been by the prison a few more times, and every time, within a few minutes, he had been spotted by Roman guards, and weapons had begun flying.

His determination was beginning to wear thin. He hadn't been able to figure out how to get to Hiccup, or where his best friend even was. And yet, the need to find Hiccup, rescue Hiccup had been dancing through his mind in a mantra that had taken over every conscious thought.

Floorboards creaked behind him, and Wrenlou sat up sharply to see Marcus watching him.

"Did I wake you up?" The farmer asked regretfully, and Wrenlou shook his head.

"No. I couldn't sleep."

"Still worried about your friend?"

Wrenlou didn't answer. 'Worry' didn't quite cover the obsessive anxiety he had on the issue. Instead, he bit his lip, not meeting Marcus' gaze.

The older man placed a hand on his shoulder, and Wrenlou finally looked up at him. "If there's a problem, the best way to get it to stop bothering you is to fix it. That's what I've learned."

"But I can't just...fix it..."

"Really? Take a direct approach. I'm not going to pretend that I'm going to help you storm a prison, but from what I'e heard of the situation, you could do it."

Some of the less rational thoughts he had pushed to the back of his mind began coalescing into a coherent plan. A direct approach? That might be possible. He had been too scared to try simply 'storming the prison' as Marcus had so put, but maybe that was the solution all along.

"Thank you." Wrenlou said, and the farmer nodded, heading out to complete his morning duties.

Standing in the doorframe, Wrenlou examined the quickly brightening sky. No. He wouldn't put it off any longer. He narrowed his eyes. Today he would get Hiccup out. No matter what it took.

~~~O~~~

Although Snowflake was a bit more moderate when it came to speed flying-Toothless was the one who pushed the speed to its limits, practically creating sonic waves as he flew-she was still faster than nearly anything else as she and Wrenlou raced towards the prison.

He still couldn't believe that he was doing this. Charging in with no plan and no backup was probably one of the stupidest things that he could have done. But he didn't have any other options, so he might as well take this one.

The prison was beneath them within minutes, and Wrenlou scanned quickly for guards on the lookout for dragons. Strangely, there were none. Perhaps that was because he had only ever come at night before, and this early morning was too strange of an hour for them to think a watch worthwhile. Whatever the reason, he was grateful.

Something caught his attention-a figure strung up to a large metal pole in an empty courtyard. Could that be Hiccup? The person's build seemed the same, but he wasn't sure from the distance. Cautiously, he landed Snowflake in the courtyard. Wrenlou's eyes widened. It was Hiccup. The tangled auburn hair definitely belonged to his friend but...

Wrenlou inhaled sharply. Hiccup was...well, destroyed would probably be the best word for him. Lacerations and burns covered his sunburned skin, blood streaking down his arms and back and legs. The way he hung limply against the pole, Wrenlou wasn't even sure he was alive.

Cautiously approaching Hiccup, Wrenlou murmured his name softly. The other man's head shot up sharply, breathing heavily.

"Who's there?" He asked, in Norse, not the language of Dragoncity Wrenlou had taught him. Wrenlou's knowledge of the language allowed him to understand.

"Hiccup, it's me, Wrenlou."

His head turned, and he winced. "Wrenlou...really? I wasn't even sure if you were alive, if..." Seeming to lose his strength, Hiccup slumped again. Wrenlou leapt forward, untying his hands.

A sigh of mingling pain and relief escaped Hiccup's lips, and he sagged into Wrenlou's arms, wincing as he did so. A bit overwhelmed by how easily Wrenlou had managed to rescue Hiccup, he pulled his friend onto Snowflake, and they shot into the air. He was expecting a trap of some sort, perhaps guards waiting for them, weapons poised to shoot them out of the sky the moment they were airborne, but none came.

Hiccup groaned. "Remind me never to get sunburned again."

"What?" Wrenlou asked, somewhat incredulous.

"I'm sunburned, Wren." Looking over the sheer extent of Hiccup's injuries, Wrenlou couldn't help but giggle, which turned into full-scale laughter, and by the time Hiccup had fallen asleep in Wrenlou's arms, he was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Years to you all!  
>I hope that you hadare having a fun time stuffing yourself with food, or celebrating, or whatever you do on New Years.**

**Because I love you, chapter seven, the finale to the story.**

**And, I don't like asking for reviews, but I would really appreciate it if you left a comment saying what you liked about the story, or didn't like, or whatever. It helps me become better at writing.**

**Carry on...**

Chapter Seven

Wrenlou opened the door to Marcus' house, Hiccup leaning heavily on him. "Vera!" He called, and in a moment, the woman had appeared from the kitchen where she was making breakfast. Her eyes widened as she looked over Hiccup, opening her mouth, looking as though she might run away.

Then she set her jaw. "Bring him into here."

They followed Vera into the main room, where Aelia was sitting and playing.

"Aelia, go play somewhere else." Her mother ordered, and the little girl looked up. She stood up, staring with large eyes as Wrenlou gently lay Hiccup on the ground.

"Aelia."Vera said again, gentle, yet firm, and when there was still no response, she ushered the child out of the room.

Wrenlou took a deep breath, mentally listing what he needed to do, and murmuring them under his breath. "Water, you need water."

A moment later, he was carefully tipping a cup of water to Hiccup's mouth, and he drank greedily. When the cup was empty, Hiccup looked at Wrenlou, a request for more unspoken on his lips, but the dark-haired man shook his head.

"Not yet. You'll just throw it all up again if you drink too much."

"Well, at least that would mean that I have water." Hiccup pointed ou. "Something I've inherently lacked the last week."  
>"Hush." Wrenlou said, although he was smiling. "Go to sleep or something."<p>

"What, on the hard floor? Such barbaric conditions."

"Stop making jokes, or I might hit you." But Wrenlou did find him a pillow, and within a few minutes, Hiccup had fallen asleep.

"He's lucky to have a friend as good as you." Vera said, watching him.

Wrenlou didn't respond for a moment. He was looking over Hiccup, trying to decide which wounds were the worst and needed to be treated immediately. Deciding on his back and the long slashes through the skin, Wrenlou stood up to get more water to wash them. He gave vera a long look before saying "He's not a friend. He's a brother to me. He's family. And you have to look out for your family."

~~~O~~~

Cassius pulled a whip off of the wall. Rather than simply a cord, it had small spikes of metal tied into it. It had been a week-Cassius was ready to end the man's life.

He headed out to the courtyard, although he took his time. He wasn't in any hurry to end the man's suffering.

Opening the door into the courtyard, however, he stopped dead in his tracks. The metal pole was empty, the ropes hanging limply in the gentle morning breeze.

"Where is he?" Cassius shouted. Of course, there was no one to reply. No one until he went into the prison, picking a guard at random.

"The murderer, who was out there, where is he?" He demanded, shoving the man up against the wall.

"I-I don't know, I-"

"I don't tolerate excuses!" Salive sprayed the younger man's face as Cassius shouted. The guard, having no response, was thrown to the ground.

"Find him! If you have to tear apart the whole city until you do, find that man!"

"Excuse me." Cassius looked up, panting as he seethed, seeing another man with a slight build helping up the guard.

"What do yo want?"

"I believe that I would be the one in charge of this prison. The warden, you might say."

"So?"

"So, you have no right to decide punishment." He inclined his head slightly. "I would put the whip away if I were you."

"There's a murderer on the loose, a murderer who killed my best friend."

"I apologize for your loss. The murderer isn't on the loose anymore, Cassius. We found him last night."

Cassius narrowed his eyes. "Where? Show me."

"As you wish." The warden led Cassius to a cell, and opened the door, revealing a haggard looking man Cassius had never seen before.

"That's not who killed Antoninus, you idiot."

"On the contrary, witnesses to the event claim this man as the culprit."

"Aye!" The prisoner said hoarsely. "Aye, was I who killed the centurion." Then the man dissolved into murmurings, rocking back and forth.

The whip Cassius had been holding fell to the ground as he reeled in shock. If this was the man who had killed Antoninus...

"Oh gods help me." Cassius said, leaning against the wall for support.

Who had been subject to punishment the week prior?

**~~~O~~~**

"Toothless!"

The Night Fury bounded forward, landing atop Hiccup, who groaned in pain before flopping over onto the grass. Heedless of his rider's injuries, Toothless began energetically licking Hiccup's face.

"Toothless, no-stop, gah! That is so disgusting- OW!"

Toothless shied away as Hiccup curled up, arms around his stomach. He edged Hiccup, who looked up at the dragon. "It's okay bud, I-yeah, I'm okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

The dragon seemed content with the reply, although he was a lot more gentle when he curled around him protectively. Hiccup scratched Toothless under the chin, and the dragon fell to the ground, purring contentedly.

Hiccup leaned back against the dragon, eyes flitting across the clouds that dotted the sky. Odd that mere hours ago, he was looking up at the same sky from quite a different position.

But the world moved on, despite oddities, and despite its occupants.

**~~~O~~~**

Hiccup and Wrenlou were sitting inside on one of the long sofas that ornamented the main room. The former had bandages wrapped around his arms, and underneath the thin shirt Marcus had loaned him were even more. He also felt sticky, from some plant that Wrenlou had sliced open and rubbed over him. Even though it had soothed the burns, it was an unpleasant feeling.

Wrenlou was watching the fire-again. It was slightly disturbing how he sat so still for such long periods of time. Hiccup wouldn't have been able to stand it, save for the fact that he wasn't exactly active himself.

"Where did the burns come from?" Wrenlou asked suddenly.

"Come again?"

"The...burns, the long ones that..." He traced lines across his chest.

"Inferno." Hiccup replied simply. "Why?"

Wrenlou turned sharply. "Really?" When Hiccup nodded, he relaxed once more, shaking his head. "I was just wondering. Because they looked different than the other burns, more...melted?"  
>Hiccup winced, and Wrenlou murmured "Sorry. Not the best topic."<p>

Silence overtook the room once again, interrupted only by Marcus coming in from the back door. But even that sound simply faded into the ambience. There wasn't much to be said.

"Wrenlou..."Hiccup began. "It's alright. You don't have to blame yourself-you blame yourself for everything, which I guess is okay, because I do that too. But please...don't."  
>He took a shuddering breath. "I...Oh gods." He trailed off, and tears burned behind his eyes. He was too tired to try to keep the hidden.<p>

"Hiccup?" Wrenlou moved a bit closer to him.

"That was probably one of the scariest things that's ever happened to me. I'd appreciate it if you would tell everyone that I'm crying because I'm actually in a ton of pain, but you ought to know." Hiccup closed his eyes. "I hadn't felt that scared since..." He trailed off. Actually, there were a lot of times that he had felt that terror, knowing that he was going to die.

Yet somehow, he had always managed to get through it.

Wrenlou looked up sideways at Hiccup, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "It will be okay."

Hiccup nodded. Yes, they had been through hell of a lot together. It had always worked out in some way or another. And even though he was sure that this was nowhere near the end of his or Wrenlou's misadventures, that was a comfort to him.

It would be okay.

Eventually.


	8. Epilogue

**So I lied. I said that there were only going to be seven chapters.**

**But then people requested an epilogue.**

**So here's an epilogue. (Thanks QueenAurora for helping me through the writer's block XD)**

Epilogue

"This is not a town of happy memories." Hiccup said, wincing.

Wrenlou nodded solemnly. "I don't understand why you wanted to come back in the first place."

Hiccup shrugged, flinching a bit as he did so. One week wasn't enough to heal, even under Wrenlou's careful ministrations. "I guess I just feel like I need...closure. Does that make sense?"

"There are less traumatizing ways of doing so, Hiccup."

Hiccup smiled. "It's all I can think about lately..."

"All I can think about is food. Can we get some,or are we doomed to stand in this spot forever?"

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup laughed, and they headed into the marketplace.

He was struck with an almost overwhelming sense of deja vu as they wandered through the stalls, admiring the things on display. Wrenlou must have sensed his discomfort, as he was never farther than a hands-breadth away from Hiccup. The protectiveness Hiccup would usually find somewhat annoying was, however, comforting.

Finally, the two men collapsed under the shade of a tree. The circumstances were eerily similar to when they had first arrived in Rome two weeks prior.

Wrenlou tossed an orange to Hiccup, who promptly peeled and ate it. The sun was nearing the horizon, meaning that soon, they would leave for Dragoncity.

"I'm just imagining what Broghan will say when we finally get back, and he sees you all beat up." Wrenlou said.

"My money is on 'Oh, not again.' "

Wrenlou laughed, and was about to reply, when Hiccup jolted forward.

"What's wrong?"

Hiccup didn't respond. Instead, he pushed himself off the ground, narrowing his eyes.

Was it really...?

Slowly, he walked forwards, until he was directly behind the man. Hiccup cleared his throat, and he turned to face Hiccup.

"You son of a bitch!" He shouted, punching Cassius across the face.

Cassius straightened up indignantly, hand pressed to the side of his face, but his eyes widened with recognition when he saw Hiccup. He raised his other hand in a gesture of surrender. Hiccup ignored him, striking another blow, this time to his stomach.

Cassius doubled over gasping. Hiccup was preparing to hit him again, but stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry." Cassius murmured as he struggled to breathe. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup lowered his hand, and slowly unclenched his fist. "No, I don't think you are. I think you're a coward."

Wrenlou had run up to Hiccup, and he grabbed Hiccup's arms, restraining him. "Hiccup, what are you _doing?_"

"I'm going to kill him." Hiccup pulled against Wrenlou's grasp, but he was still weak, and didn't accomplish anything.

"No, you're not. Who..." Wrenlou trailed off as Cassius stood up again, vaguely recognizing him as the man who had arrested Hiccup.

"No, I deserve it." He said softly. "I..."

Hiccup stopped struggling, breathing heavily. "Damn right you deserve it."

"Hiccup, stop it." Wrenlou said, tentatively letting him go.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiccup pointed to Cassius. "He almost killed me. And if he had, you would be the one after him, not me. Don't even try to deny that."

Wrenlou glared at Hiccup. "No, I won't. But please, be rational about this. I don't need you going to prison for actually killing someone this time." His face softened. "Please, Hiccup."

Hiccup took a shaky breath, and silently regarded Cassius, who stood up a bit taller. "I'm sorry." He said again. "I was wrong, and I was an idiot."

"You've got that right." Hiccup said under his breath. He had no intention of letting Cassius get away from him.

No intention until Cassius knelt on the ground, head bowed. "I apologize. And...I ask for your forgiveness."

Hiccup almost laughed. "Forgive you?" He said incredulously. "_Forgive_ you? Just like that?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You arrested me for something I didn't do, you had me whipped, every single day, tortured me, and left me out in the sun to die. You called me a liar, a murderer, you tried to justify your actions as avenging Antoninus." He let out a short burst of mirthful laughter. "That's not something that qualifies forgiveness."

They had caught the attention of the market goers, and a loose circle had formed around them.

"I know." Cassius said somberly. "Yet...perhaps you're a better person than I am."

The hatred and anger Hiccup had been harboring snapped. Was he really a better person than Cassius? A moment ago he had been ready to kill the man, and the only reason he hadn't was because Wrenlou had stepped in.

No. He wasn't a better man than Cassius.

But he could start being one.

Hiccup closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. _I can't believe I'm doing this._ "I forgive you."

Wrenlou smiled, sagging a bit in relief. Cassius still didn't stand, although he did look up at Hiccup hopefully.

"Get off the ground you idiot, I'm taller than you anyway." Hiccup said grudgingly.

Cassius got to his feet, watching Hiccup, as if afraid he would suddenly change his mind. "Thank you."

Hiccup had to force away a sneer. "You can thank me by getting out of my sight."

Cassius nodded, and turned to leave, but stopped, pulling something from his belt. He handed the small rod of metal to Hiccup.

"Inferno." Hiccup took the sword into his hand, examining it, trying to ignore the ghosts of pain that flashed through his chest where he had been burned with it.

Cassius left then, without saying anything else. Hiccup watched him leave, still in shock that he had simply forgiven the man.

Wrenlou placed a tentative hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "We should go."

Hiccup followed him out of the city, towards where their dragons were waiting.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so angry at someone." Wrenlou said, hoisting himself p onto Snowflake.

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't know what happened. I...lost control I guess."

It took Wrenlou a long time to respond. "I can't believe that you actually forgave him. After..."

Hiccup pat Toothless' head, and locked the prosthetic tailfin into its position for taking off.

"Well, you know." He smiled suddenly. "When in Rome..."

Then, he shot up into the swiftly darkening sky.


End file.
